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GOP wouldn't accept status quo; Dems did

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
07/25/2016 09:23:43 AM EDT

Since conventional political wisdom had little to do with this week's Republican National Convention, Donald Trump decided to stick with that script in delivering his acceptance speech Thursday night in Cleveland.

Usually a time for sanguine, rosy statements, for promises voters love to hear but candidates consistently fail to keep, the Republican presidential nominee instead laid out a stark portrait of the America he and those who support him see.

Are you better off than you were eight years ago? The answer for all the delegates and those disaffected blue-collar voters who enabled Trump to overcome the Republican Party establishment is an unequivocal no.

And more than job security, it's a lack of national and personal security that's become the new normal during the eight years of President Obama's administration.

Islamic terrorism at home and abroad, the deterioration of race relations and the related overall breakdown of police respect and authority, all seem to be accepted --not unacceptable -- behavior.

That's the America Trump sees -- and promises to mend. It's a theme that struck a chord with a sufficient number of the electorate to put him into a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton in most national polls.

Of course, Trump's still the candidate of contrasts. While again promising to wall off Mexico and undo Obamacare, he also vowed to respect and protect the rights of gays and lesbians.

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The fact that Peter Thiel, the openly gay billionaire and co-founder of PayPal, spoke to convention delegates on the same night Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination gave credence to those words.

It's his unorthodoxy and unpredictability -- like questioning America's commitment to NATO -- that worries both the Republican and Democratic establishment.

That's because while Trump must gain the support of the vast majority of Republicans if he's to stand any chance of becoming president, his maverick side must also win over conservative Democrats and independents, especially in those eight or so battleground states.

Yes, the Republican Convention -- with its claims of plagiarism and Ted Cruz's declaration of independence -- wasn't the polished show we'll undoubtedly see when the Democrats convene in Philadelphia next week.

That party-controlled, orchestrated affair has the unenviable task of trying to convince the country that a Clinton presidency won't just be another four years of Obama.

Most Republicans see America at a critical crossroads, and decided to buck its party and nominate someone who'll reverse this country's decline.

Democrats had a similar choice, but decided to accept the safe, flawed alternative.

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